Dance With My Father
by Narcissa B Malfoy
Summary: SongFic. When Lucius is sent to Azkaban, Draco has to try to deal with his father's absence...


_Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, or this song by Luther Vandross. I wish I did, but I don't. _

_Also, I just want to say a BIG thanks to Death Eater Bella for telling me about this song! Thanks Bella! I love you!_

_A/N: This is set after Lucius' imprisonment in OotP. _

**Dance with my Father**

It was past midnight when Draco Malfoy came out of his room. _My mother must be asleep by now_, he thought, as he made his way down the hall. Pausing just outside her room, he pressed his ear against the door, and after hearing no noises from within, he headed down the stairs. It's not that he was avoiding his mother. He just didn't know what to say to her, how to comfort her. She had taken his father's imprisonment hard, and although he desperately wanted to be there for her, he didn't know what to do. He could just hear his father's voice now.

"_Take care of your mother Draco. Make me proud."_

Draco shook his head to clear his mind of such thoughts. He didn't want to think about that right now. It was still too difficult.

Reaching the bottom landing, Draco walked around aimlessly, eventually finding himself in the library. As he sank into one of the lounges, he looked around the room, his mind taking him back to when he was four.

_Draco stood on his mother's feet, dancing with her in time to the music which was playing. Holding onto her tightly so he didn't slip off, he looked up at her._

"_Mummy, am I a good dancer?" Narcissa smiled at her son._

"_One of the best I've ever had the pleasure of dancing with." She replied, and a wide grin spread across her son's face._

_All of a sudden, Draco felt himself being lifted into the air and placed back on the ground again._

"_Excuse me, sir, but I do believe it is my turn now." Lucius said, bowing politely, before placing an arm around his wife and dancing with her around the room. _

"_Daddy no! I was dancing with Mummy! I'm better than you anyways!" Lucius abruptly stopped dancing and looked down at Draco. _

"_Well, this does pose a problem, doesn't it?" He paused for a moment in mock thought. "Perhaps we should allow this enchanting lady to decide." He said, turning to Narcissa, who tapped her chin thoughtfully._

"_Hmmm…such a tough decision. I don't think I'm able to choose between the two of you."_

"_No matter. I believe I have found a solution!" Lucius claimed. And with that, he picked up his son and placed him on his shoulders. "How is that, Draco?" His son laughed happily._

"_Perfect! Now I can dance with both of my men." Narcissa said, kissing her husband on the cheek. _

_As they danced, Draco tried to stifle a yawn, to no avail. _

"_I think someone is ready for bed."_

"_Nonsense! I'm just getting warmed up. But if you insist." Lucius said with a wink._

"_Not you." Narcissa nodded her head towards their son whose head was starting to droop slightly, Lucius reached up and lifted Draco off his shoulders, trying not to wake him and carried him up the stairs to his own room. Once there, he placed him down gently in his bed and pulled the covers over him._

"_Goodnight Draco."_

**Back when I was a child, before life removed all the innocence**

**  
My father would lift me high and dance with my mother and me and then**

**  
Spin me around 'til I fell asleep**

**  
Then up the stairs he would carry me**

**  
And I knew for sure I was loved**

Draco ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Tears stung his eyes, threatening to fall. He stood up suddenly. This room brought back too many memories. The number of times he had danced with his mother here when he was younger, the number of times his father had spun him around were all too painful to remember. And, although he would never admit it, he secretly wished that he could watch his mother and father dance around the room once more.

**If I could get another chance, another walk, another dance with him**

**  
I'd play a song that would never, ever end**

**  
How I'd love, love, love**

**  
To dance with my father again**

Walking out of the library, he made his way to his father's study. He pushed open the heavy door and looked around the room. He could still feel his father's presence in here. As he sat at the desk, thoughts were still running through his mind.

_Draco burst into his parent's room and ran over to the window seat where his mother sat reading. _

"_Mum! The new Comet's out!" he announced excitedly. Narcissa looked up from her book to her six-year-old son standing before her. _

"_Sorry?"_

"_The broomstick!" he answered exasperatedly. He couldn't believe she didn't know what he was talking about! It had only been advertised everywhere for the last three months._

"_Oh, of course!" she said with a sly smile. She knew exactly what her son was referring to. _

"_Can we go into Diagon Alley later? I need to get it before anyone else does!" Narcissa frowned slightly._

"_Honey, I think you should wait a little longer before you get your own broom."_

"_What? Why?"_

"_Sweetie, I don't think you realise how dangerous Quidditch and flying can be." She said softly._

"_But Mum, I-"_

"_Not just yet Draco." She stated firmly, interrupting him. Draco stared at her for a moment, a look of intense shock upon his face. Narcissa reached out for her son's hand. "Maybe in a year or two. I promise." She said, before Draco ran out of the room and stomped down the stairs, making an effort to be as loud as he possibly could._

_Down in his study, Lucius sighed and removed his reading glasses. Standing up, he walked over to the door and caught Draco by the back of his shirt as he ran past._

"_Are you loud enough Draco? I'm not sure they heard you in Bulgaria." Draco glared up at his father. "What's wrong?" Lucius asked him tiredly. When Draco didn't answer, Lucius sighed again and steered him inside his study, sitting him on the edge of the desk._

"_Why can't I get a broom?" he asked angrily as his father sat down in his chair._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Mum said I have to wait coz it's too dangerous. I don't want to wait! I want to play Quidditch like you!"_

"_Well, if your mother says no…"_

"_What if I bought it myself?" Lucius raised his eyebrows. _

"_And where are you planning on getting the money from?"_

"_You!" he replied, as if it were obvious. _

"_Will you now?" Draco didn't answer. "You know, your mother has a very good reason for why she wants you to wait."_

"_What?" he asked scornfully._

"_Well…I'm not really supposed to say anything…" Draco's eyes opened wide._

"_What is it?" he asked quietly. Lucius looked around the room carefully before answering,_

"_I'll tell you only if you promise never repeat it ever again." Draco copied his father's actions and checked the room._

"_I won't say anything. I promise."_

"_Well…"_

"_Please!" Lucius studied his son for a moment._

"_Okay. Well, when your mother was ten-years-old, she was flying around her backyard, when all of a sudden, she was attacked by _five_ Hippogriffs!" Draco gasped and Lucius shook his head sadly. "And ever since that day, she's never been the same. She's terrified of flying…I suppose you can't really blame her, can you?" Draco looked down at his hands guiltily._

"_Now, every time she sees birds flying overhead or sees one of the elves sweeping the floor, she screams and runs away like a scared little baby." Draco had the decency to try and suppress the laugh that was threatening to erupt. "But you mustn't tell anyone what I just told you or you mother will kill me!" Draco nodded his head violently. _

"_Good, now off you go. I have work to do." His son hopped off the desk and ran out of the room. Lucius watched him go before chuckling to himself quietly._

"_That was a lie Lucius Malfoy." Narcissa said, walking into the room and sitting on her husband's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. _

"_Really? I'm sure I recall you telling me that story." Narcissa smiled at him. "Then again, perhaps I dreamt that."_

"_Perhaps you did." She leaned in and captured his lips in a deep kiss. "I love you." She whispered breathlessly a few minutes later. _

"_I love you too."_

_Later that night, Lucius quietly opened the door to Draco's room. He walked softly over to the bed where his son lay snoring lightly, and as carefully as he could, he placed a small pouch of galleons under the corner of the pillow. _

"_Daddy? What-" his son mumbled, half asleep. _

"_Shh, it's alright. Go back to sleep."_

"_I love you, Daddy." His son whispered sleepily before rolling over and closing his eyes. Lucius smiled._

"_I love you too, Draco."_

**  
When I and my mother would disagree**

**  
To get my way, I would run from her to him**

**  
He'd make me laugh just to comfort me**

**  
Then finally make me do just what my mama said**

**  
Later that night when I was asleep**

**  
He left a dollar under my sheet**

**  
Never dreamed that he would be gone from me**

Draco placed his head in his hands. The tears which had threatened to fall finally made their way down his cheeks. He never expected his father to be caught. _The Ministry never even allowed us to say a proper goodbye_, he mused bitterly. The man who had helped raise him, the man who he admired so much. He wiped the tears away angrily. He didn't want to be like this. He had to be strong, if not for himself, then for his mother. But it was hard. That fact that he would not get to see his father again for a very long time hurt. It hurt a lot.

**  
If I could steal one final glance, one final step, one final dance with him**

**  
I'd play a song that would never, ever end**

**  
'Cause I'd love, love, love**

**  
To dance with my father again**

Draco slowly made his way out of the room and back up the stairs to his room. Not that he felt much like sleeping. As he walked down the hallway, he heard a noise from within his mother's room and he paused outside her door. He listened carefully, trying not to make a sound, and he heard a sound that nearly broke his heart. His first thought was to go in there and comfort her, but what was he going to say? _Mum, everything's going to be fine. _Sure, that would work. _Mum, he loves you. _She already knew that. He knew anything he tried to say or do would only make things worse. He couldn't stand to see his mother cry. And what made it even harder was that this time, there was nothing he could do to ease her pain.

_Please, _he thought,_ please let her be okay._

**  
Sometimes I'd listen outside her door**

**  
And I'd hear how my mother cried for him**

**  
I pray for her even more than me**

**  
I pray for her even more than me**

Draco lay in bed. He felt more awake than he'd ever felt before. As he rolled over for what seemed like the millionth time, his eyes fell on the picture on his bed-side table. He smiled as he watched his father spin his mother around, both of them laughing. Lucius leaned in and whispered something into Narcissa's ear and she gave him a huge smile before kissing him. Draco sighed. He missed his father so much, and although he knew it was foolish, he somehow hoped that he would come back soon. Especially for his mother's sake.

As he continued to watch the picture next to him, Draco felt his eyes become heavy, soon he was asleep, images of his parents dancing still running through his mind.

**  
I know I'm praying for much too much**

**  
But could you send back the only man she loved**

**  
I know you don't do it usually**

**  
But dear Lord she's dying**

**  
To dance with my father again**

**  
Every night I fall asleep and this is all I ever dream**


End file.
